Patio Awning Installation

The correct installation of a patio awning is equally as important, if not more in some respects than the quality of the patio awning itself. Containing powerful spring loaded arms and weighing in some instances more than 100kg, a patio awning in essence is like a sail on the side of your property, exposed to gusts of winds and all kinds of strains and stresses.

Quality patio awnings represent a significant investment, one that should last a lifetime but a poor installation can not only lead to dissatisfaction but can be extremely dangerous with in the worst instances the patio awning collapsing from the side of your property, or even worse the wall the awning is attached to collapsing.

In theory buildings are not designed to have patio awnings on the side of them, projecting out upto 3.75m. However, by using the correct anchoring method and a competent installer, patio awnings can be safely installed to virtualy any property.

So what types of fixings should be used?

Patio awnings are usually mounted to masonry structures which include hollow bricks, solid bricks and concrete blocks. There is no hard and fast, one fixing for all, rule for every application.

What is important to remember is that as an awning extends and retracts it is creating hi-torque at its load points (where the arms attach to the inside of the awning) and subsequently this strain is put onto the fixing plate directly behind. Couple this with the additional stress created from acceptable wind levels and gusts of stronger winds and this load can be as great as over a third of a tonne which is spread across several fixing bolts in each bracket dependent on system.

Any type of fixing that simply grips or expands onto the brick or block has the potential to come loose over a period of time, or cause weaker bricks / blocks to crack. This in turn could lead to the awning pulling away from the wall with horrific consequences. These types of fixings which are often used for speed and low cost can include but are not limited to rawl type bolts, sleeve bolts and coach bolts.

On the other (safer) hand, resin bonded anchors (threaded steel rods) offer a stress free anchorage which is usually stronger than the base material itself. Commonly used for anchoring of structural steel such as columns, beams, safety barriers and railings, resin bonded anchors provide a premium anchoring solution with maximum load capabilities.

There are different types of resin depending on the application, for example hollow and solid bricks will use a different type of resin due to their composition then cracked or un-cracked concrete blocks. Resin is normally injected into the hole drilled for the anchor (which must be thoroughly cleaned out for the resin to set). Two chemical components mix together through the vanes in the tube nozzle before it enters the hole and seeps into the pores of the base material when the anchor is then inserted. When the resin is cured, which will depend on the temperature, they have formed a stress free bond of the anchor (threaded steel rod) to the brick/block in which they are inserted.

Not only does this type of fixing method take considerably longer to do but it costs more too, however, it will guarantee, if done correctly, the safest installation of a patio awning to your property. At Caribbean Blinds, all installations of our patio awnings to masonry structures use this chemical fixing method to guarantee the safest, strongest, stress free attachment back to the façade. Couple this with our own fully qualified installation teams who all they do is install patio awnings day in, day out, you are guaranteed a perfect installation that will stand the test of time.

Finally whilst obvious, patio awnings should not be installed by DIY enthusiasts, builders or even engineers – leave it to the professionals at Caribbean Blinds.

Patio Awning in Cambridge

“Thanks for your email, and also for your charming ‘Team’ who have made a marvelous job of installing the new Awning . . . Not only is it beautiful, and working just as we’d hoped, but also the ‘wi-fi’ control system is a Dream to operate, and without chopping holes in the plaster to run extra cables . . . an unexpected bonus for us all here! If and when we get round to thinking about a 2nd blind for the Kitchen window, we know where to go. And in the meantime, we will highly recommend Caribbean Blinds to anyone who is interested”